The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-04-30
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
A HoRoLoGICAL MARVEL.

A large clock Just completed in Germany by
Christian Martin is said to surpass in wonderful
construction all previous achievements. 1t is
designed to show the seconds, minutes, quarter
hours, hours, days, weeks, months, the four sea-
sons, the wears, and leap years until the close Of
90. .999 A. d. 1t gives indications for every lati-
tude, and records the successive phases of the
moon. 1t not only strikes the quarters and hours
but the minute as well, sixty different symbolic
figures performing the work. night watchmap
blows the hours of the night on his horn, cock
crows at sunrise, and cuckoo appears in spring
There are moving pictures, a bell-ringing sacris-
tan who knees and folds his hands, and flute
toned musical works, besides other interesting
features.
BUTTERFLY GALLANTS.
In some notes on the capture of butterflies and
moths, Mr.. S. I. Klein remarks that the attrac-
tiveness of the "ladies" among the Lepidoptera
is very remarkable. In favorable weather and
locality, a young female of Bombyc quercus quick
ly brings around dozen of the opposite sex, and
one occasion, after remaining for a considera-
BILE time in one spot, this observer counted over
forty of the male moths within fifty yards, all at
tracted by the female in his hand.
HoRsE-B BEEF VS.. OK BEEF.
An English food inspector, Mr.. James Bell,
finds that horse-fesh and beef cannot be positively
distinguished by external appearance, but that
the fat is reliable test. Tho horsefat is fluid
gravity at 100 degrees of about 9O7.7; while the
fat of beef mets at 110 to 120 degrees and is
siderably lighter. The low melting point of the
fat will show when sausages are made from horse
meat.
WATER AS FOOD.
During their recent fifty days fast in Paris,
Succi and Merlatt drank freely of water, concern
ing the effect of which opinion was divided. By
important though cruel tests, NJ. Laborde has
proven that water is really of great value in keep
ing off death by starvation. Without food and
water, healthy dog, originally weighing "a
pounds, died on the twentieth day, after having
lost 164 pounds in weight. Another dog of the
same kind, age and weight, was well and lively
after forty days subsistence water alone, though
it lost III pounds in the time.
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION.
Some observations made In France by NJ. Cos
son may throw light upon many mysterious fires.
In one instance spontaneous firing arose from an
air current heated to II degrees Fahr. only. The
wood slowly carbonized at that temperature, and
being thus rendered extremely porous, rapid
absorption of oxygen resulted, and sufficient heat
then produced to inhame the dry MATERIAL
In another case the warmth from the air hole of
a stove was sufficient to set fire to woodwork.
BRAIN-wEIGHTs.
The average weight of the brain in men is AZ
ounces and in women some four or five ounces
less; the human organ being absolutely heavier
than that of any of the lower animals except the
elephant and the whale, with brains of ten and
five pounds respectively. AS rule, mental Ca
pacity and the size of the brain quite closely
respond and it has been observed that brain
weight of less than 80 ounces in an adult person
is always accompanied by defective intellect
The rule has its exceptions, however, notable
one being that of Gambetta, the small weight of
whose brain, less than Al ounces, is attracting the
attention of French anthropologists. A contrast
ing case has recently been furnished in an idiot
with a brain of 55 ounces. Familiar great brains
are those Of Cuvier and Webster, each exceeding
Ga ounces; of DR.. Abercrombie, SO ounces; and
of Duypreten, 639 ounces. Descartes, Raphael
and Voltaire had small heads, while that of Ma
poleon was only slightly above the average, and
that of Schiller not at ALL The lightest brain on
record weighed eight ounces and belonged to an
idiot boy, and that of an idiot woman weighed
ten ounces. The average brain of Englishmen is
40 ounces that of Frenchmen a little over As
ounces; that of Dutch, Italians, Swedes and
Lapps comes nearer the English, while the Ger
man brain is heavier. In India the weigh is from
Al to A ounces in Africa 43 and in America 46.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Maps published by the geological Survey of
New Jersey give Sandy Hook four times as great
an area as in the year 1885, when an outline sur
vey was smade.-------s---s
A Swiss physicist, Prot. simm,er, i.4ss41eE,sss'
-si..t diamonds have been formed by the taking up
ol ssis.ii- sess ssid, and Ass
subsequent deposition in crystalline form on
the evaporation of the acid. This could only take
place in rock cavities strongly COMPRISING the
carbonic acid, which would quickly disappear on
release from the pressure.
The city analyst of Liverpool finds that pepper
is largely adulterated with worthless material
resembling ground olive stones which is imported
from italy for the express purpose.
Societies for the advancement of dress reform
for women now exist in England, Sweden, Nor
way, Denmark and Finland.
Snow flakes over four inches across were OBJ
served last month in the vicinity of Chepstow,
England.
The project of flooding portion of Algeria
from the sea has been abandoned, but it seems
that large tracts may be covered with water from
other sources. De Lesseps reports to the French
Academy that a single artesian well bored in 1885
is yielding some 1000 gallons minute, and has
formed considerable lake thirty feet deep, re
claiming from 200 to 800 acres of waste land.
During the first month of the year no less than
three new comets were announced. The first
was discovered Jan. Is at the Cordoba Observa-
tory in South America, and is likely to become
very brilliant.